Vale Irena Walulewicz (1925–2019)

Redakcja / Editorial staff / English translation: Andrew Rajcher, 6 April 2019
Irena Walulewicz passed away on 29th March 2019 at the age of 94. She was a Righteous Among the Nations and had been honoured with the Commander's Cross of the Order of Polonia Restituta. Her funeral service took place on 3rd April in the Minor Basilica of St Jacob's Parish in Olsztyn.

During the occupation, Irena Walulewicz and her mother, Zofia, helped Golda Buszkaniec, a fugitive from the Święciany ghetto. Golda was hidden in teh attic of the Walulewicz family's home.

Gold wrote:

Every day, they brought me food upstairs. Later, they would take the plate away and also empty the bucket which I used for "my needs".

On colder days, she was often downstairs to warm herself by the stove. During times of danger, she hid under the bed, the bottom of which was covered with material which had been sewn on.

During the War, Irena and Zofia had been left on their own. They supported themselves through sewing and selling home-distilled alcohol which was distributed by Irena, who was deaf from a childhood bout of scarlet fever.

Golda left their home in November 1943 and met up with her husband Szymon, who had also escaped from the ghetto and had joined the partisans.

Read the story of the Walulewicz family »

In 1995, after many years of effort, Golda Buszkaniec found Irena Walulewicz, thanks to the Association of the Deaf. On 27th November 2007, the American Jewish Foundation for the Righteous, which materially supports the Righteous all over the world, arranged for Irena and Golda to meet in New York - for the first time since the War.